Zaanse clothing bank is busier than ever: from 1,000 to 1,500 customers in 1 year

In Wormerveer, a room is well filled with quite a few clothes. This is therefore not a superfluous luxury, because where Lonneke saw about two or three customers a day last year, this number has now risen to forty. “Many a clothing store will be jealous of that,” she says as the volunteers make packages of toys and sort clothes.

Happy children

Hassan is one of these clients. He does not speak Dutch very well, but with his full bag he is completely delighted. “Yes, I’m very happy with it,” he says with a laugh. “It’s nice and good.” Another young couple enters with the pram. They have three more and rummage between the clothing racks. “We have been living in the Netherlands for almost two years now. This is our second time here.” According to them, the children are overjoyed when they come home with a well-filled bag.

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Lonneke is happy to hear this. “Textiles protect us, but they do so much more.” For example, the chairman once experienced being called by a teacher that a girl was not allowed to join the gym for the third time. This was because she had no gym clothes. With a new set, the girl was able to participate in school again. Lonneke: “I think that on average three or four children in Zaanstad get their textiles from us at every school.”

The bins on the road are well filled by Zaankanters. Yet there is always a demand for more. “There is never enough children’s clothing, it goes really fast. It also wears out very quickly,” explains Lonneke. In addition, children grow up very quickly.

Fair sharing

To distribute the clothing fairly, the clothing bank works with a sign-off list. Hassan must therefore put the slippers back for his wife. Next week he will receive a new list, but for now his card is full.

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Not having money for clothes is still a taboo for many people. “I don’t think people see that the clothes are from the clothing bank,” says Lonneke. In addition, they are quite remote in Mopjesveer.

“That is a problem for people from Zaandam and Oostzaan. That you have to buy here with public transport and that you are not very well located. On the other hand, it is a bit of privacy for people, that you do not see that you are with bags come out.”

New backpacks

With the summer holidays just around the corner, a new group of children is also starting secondary school. Backpacks are required for this. Something that Lonneke, in addition to socks and underwear, wants to buy from the money that was raised during the boxing gala. “They are often broken and worn out, so how nice would it be if we could donate a good backpack to our customers.”

De Zaanse does not dare to predict whether it will stick to 1,500 customers. “It’s hard for me to say.” During the pandemic, more people used the clothing bank. Lonneke adds: “I hope it stays that way, but there is a good chance that there will be a large peak with people.”